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New Day Saturday
Severe Weather for Thanksgiving; The Obamacare Website's Important Option Removed for Political Purposes before the Launch. Undetectable Weapons Ban Expiration and 3D Printers Availability; Hollywood Movie Heats up Box Office; Shooting at LAX?; FCC Might Allow Cell Phone Calls on Flights
Aired November 23, 2013 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CHRISTI PAUL, CNN ANCHOR: Storm front coming. It's the busiest travel week of the year. And along with typical delays and traffic, a massive weather system is about to make your Thanksgiving travel worse. And just about the entire country is going to be affected.
VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Imagine a deadly rampage using a gun completely made of plastic. That's the fear of some lawmakers if a ban on undetectable weapons is not renewed. But is that ban a violation of your rights? We'll debate the issue with a former ATF assistant director and a man who's selling blueprints for a gun using a 3D printer.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LIAM HEMSWORTH, ACTOR, "HUNGER GAMES": You have been heard people, Katniss. You've given them an opportunity. They've just got to be brave enough to take it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTI PAUL, CNN ANCHOR: And the moment has come for all you "Hunger Games" fans, "Catching Fire" is already lighting up the box office. Pulling in big numbers for its first showing. In its opening weekend could be one for Hollywood's history books. Whether you're enjoying breakfast or maybe a good workout on the treadmill right now, we're just grateful to have you company.
Good morning, I'm Christi Paul.
BLACKWELL: I'm Victor Blackwell. 7:00 here on the East Coast. This is NEW DAY SATURDAY.
You know, maybe some people are packing, you know.
PAUL: That could be.
BLACKWELL: Because this is a big, big travel week.
PAUL: Yes.
BLACKWELL: The busiest travel week of the year, in fact. But severe weather. Yes, it could cause major headaches if you're traveling for Thanksgiving.
PAUL: Yes, I mean, this affects several states that are under a winter storm warning right now. In Colorado, first of all, roads are already covered with snow and ice. Look at that. Flooding caused by heavy rain. It's a big concern in Arizona and California.
BLACKWELL: Yes. But if you live in the northeast or you're heading there for Thanksgiving, prepare yourself for an arctic blast.
Let's bring in meteorologist Karen Maginnis.
Arctic blast.
PAUL: I love it.
BLACKWELL: Two words some people don't want to hear.
(LAUGHTER)
KAREN MAGINNIS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Exactly. And this affects millions of people. In the short term, it's going to be from Arizona to the southeast. We go past Sunday into the beginning of the big travel week ahead, and you're looking at bitterly cold air and what could be an ice event, a rain event, a snow event. Either way, about 50 million people across that northeastern corridor.
Right now the temperature in New York at 39. Those temperatures not going to be rising a whole lot from that. As temperatures are going to be between 15 and near 25 degrees below as they should be for this time of year. Only in the 20s and 30s in the northeast. Look at this. Fargo right now is minus four. That's not windchill. That's the actual outside air temperature.
An additional inch or two of rain fall expected across the southwestern United States where you saw all those pictures of flooding. Well, this area of low pressure is going to trek to the south. But a secondary area of low pressure will develop in the Gulf Coast and for places like Dallas, you could see some ice, you could see some snow in Nashville. And then we'll watch out across the northeast. We'll watch out for the potential for winter storm.
Back to you.
PAUL: All right. Karen, thank you so much.
BLACKWELL: New this morning, Secretary of State John Kerry has arrived in Geneva, as momentum builds for a landmark deal on Iran's controversial nuclear program. And Kerry and other top diplomats are taking part in talks and a flurry of meetings. A key sticking point, though, is Iran's refusal to stop enriching uranium. And ministers say -- foreign ministers say that major differences still need to be worked out.
PAUL: Alrighty, if you plan to see the latest "Hunger Games" movie this holiday weekend, get ready for some company. That's just fine with Hollywood, of course. BLACKWELL: Yes. Yes. They want the big crowds. The movie could set a box office record for November with estimates that it could top $150 million.
PAUL: And for all you "Hunger Games" fans out there, you can't put a price on seeing your favorite characters back on screen, right?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAUL (voice-over): From screaming fans at the Los Angeles premiere to long lines at your local cinema --
DONALD SUTHERLAND, ACTOR, "HUNGER GAMES": This is the 75th year of the Hunger Games.
PAUL: The second installment of the "Hunger Games" trilogy, "Catching Fire" is out. And it's the hot ticket of the weekend.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I am very cold and tired, but I'm excited for the movie.
PAUL: It's also a franchise that's now in line to shatter records. The first film grossed nearly $700 million worldwide.
JENNIFER LAWRENCE, ACTRESS, "HUNGER GAMES": I volunteer. I volunteer as tribute.
PAUL: More than $150 million in its opening weekend. The third highest gross of all time.
SUTHERLAND: You fought very hard in the games, Miss Everdeen. But they were games.
PAUL: The sci-fi adventure series centers around citizens who are forced to fight in annual televised battles for survival with Jennifer Lawrence returning as the heroine Katniss Everdeen.
LAWRENCE: It's a wonderful story. I mean, the trilogy is full of that because there's so many different levels and why -- and the cruelty of the capital as well just kind of intensifies in the second one.
PAUL: In "Catching Fire" Katniss has become a star. A lightning rod symbol of a people's rebellion. But she's still the super warrior girl next door.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I wouldn't have expected anything in that whole movie. I mean, and I've read the books, I've read all three of them, and that movie was amazing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLACKWELL: Every time we talk about this, someone on the floor here who's outside the camera view says, I can't wait to see this movie.
PAUL: I know. I know. BLACKWELL: I can't wait. Well, Hollywood hopes that everyone here will see it. And everyone feels the same way as that kid and will shell out the tickets for the next movie and the one after that. Bradley Jacobs is the senior editor for "Us Weekly" and joins us from New York.
Bradley, it's good to have you.
BRADLEY JACOBS, SENIOR EDITOR, "US WEEKLY": Good morning.
BLACKWELL: "Harry Potter" is the gold standard for these franchises. I mean, those movies brought in more $700 billion. Can the "Hunger Games" movies top that?
JACOBS: Well, "Harry Potter" was a game-changer. First as a book series, it got kids reading books and running to bookstores at 11:00, you know, p.m., an hour before the books came out in ways that we've never seen before. Then of course the movies were also game changers. But it's a little bit of apples and oranges because "Harry Potter," you'll remember, was eight books and eight movies.
And with "The Hunger Games" really only have three books that are becoming four movies. So it's not quite at that gargantuan level but it is going to be a massive franchise. And you're going to continue to see these young adult books and trilogies be turned into movies because now everyone knows if done right, they can work and bring in the bucks.
PAUL: Well, and here's the thing. I mean, we know the studio was a little squeamish at first marketing the movies, at least the last time, because it's about kids killing kids. But it seems like it's everywhere this time around.
BRADLEY: Right.
PAUL: So what changed?
BRADLEY: Last time -- last time, Lions Gate had a tricky thing. They had to soft-peddle that violence. If you read the books you knew that it was about teenagers killing each other. And they still had to get people into the theaters. Now we've all seen the movies. We're adjusted to the violence. We're not squeamish about it. We know that there's a lot more emotion.
Honestly when I think about the first movie and I was getting ready to see the second movie a week ago, I was just concerned with the emotional story that we were going to see. I don't even really remember the violence so much from the first movie or even the second movie. It's really much more about Katniss' journey and this world, this dystopian world that they create.
And I think that that's, you know, why you're going to see so many more young people running to the movies, and picking up the third book, "Mocking Jay," if they haven't read it already.
BLACKWELL: So you said -- we talked about "Harry Potter," eight books, eight movies, with "Hunger Games," three book, four movies. Is there a possibility that somewhere, somehow, we're going to get another book so we can make two more movies?
(LAUGHTER)
BRADLEY: I don't know, that's up to Suzanne Collins. You know, so far, she's been mum about that. I think that she probably would want to move on to something different. It seems a little -- a little cheap to just create another one.
BLACKWELL: 'Tis a business, though.
PAUL: It is.
BLACKWELL: 'Tis a business.
PAUL: And if it's working --
(LAUGHTER)
BLACKWELL: Bradley Jacobs, senior editor for "Us Weekly," good to have you.
BRADLEY: Thank you so much.
PAUL: Thanks, Bradley.
BLACKWELL: You can read plenty more about the movie, its stars and the box office results at CNN.com.
Hey, it really is not easy making jokes about a movie showing a post- apocalyptic world where, as you say, children are killing children on television.
PAUL: Yes. David Letterman found a way, though. You know he would. Even managed to take a shot at a favorite late-night target, too.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID LETTERMAN, HOST, "LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN": "Hunger Games" part two. You excited about the big -- of course.
(APPLAUSE)
Whoo. The full title of the movie is "Hunger Games" part 2, what's for dinner?
(LAUGHTER)
It's about shopping for Thanksgiving with Chris Christie. Fantastic footage.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL: Oh, my goodness.
BLACKWELL: Well, hey, we got this scene in Los Angeles.
PAUL: Yes.
BLACKWELL: Not a movie scene. Something quite serious. Take a look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everybody on the ground.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everybody get down.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL: This is LAX. Yes, the same airport where that tragic shooting happened earlier this month. We're going to tell you about this incident from overnight.
BLACKWELL: And you want to be on a flight to Albuquerque sitting next to a chatty Kathy on a cell phone? No. No.
PAUL: No? Not really?
BLACKWELL: How about you, Alexandra?
ALEXANDRA FIELDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: (INAUDIBLE) soon be a reality. I'm Alexandra Fields live in New York, talking on cell phones while on airplanes? We'll talk about that when NEW DAY SATURDAY returns.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everyone on the ground.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everybody get down.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: If you think you've seen this before, I mean, this is not video of what happened a few weeks ago. It has happened again. A couple of unrelated incidents set off chaos at Los Angeles International Airport. And for a moment, police feared another shooting was under way.
PAUL: Yes. That was not the case.
CNN's Paul Vercammen is at LAX.
Good morning to you, Paul.
PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Christi, Victor, the false alarm can be tracked to an out of control minivan. It caused a series of traffic collisions and someone heard those sounds, and mistook those sounds for gunfire. Police shortly thereafter entered the terminal and they could be heard telling people to get down.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everyone on the ground.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everybody get down.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VERCAMMEN: We also spoke with a woman from Australia who came through here on November 1st during the last incident. This time, she said she hid in a family restroom, that's where parents often change their baby's diapers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They were on high alert. They were looking for someone. We had heard there was someone with a gun. So they were making sure that we weren't the people with the gun.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VERCAMMEN: Authorities say in all, 4600 people were affected. Some of them had already gone to their gates and had to be pulled out and then they had to go through TSA twice on what was a night of prayed nerves here at LAX -- Christi, Victor.
BLACKWELL: All right. CNN's Paul Vercammen, at LAX for us this morning, thank you.
The FCC is considering letting you make calls from your cell phones during flights. It's still up in the air whether it's a good idea.
PAUL: Yes, is it something that, you know, we live to regret if the SEC gives the OK, though?
Alexandra Field joins us from New York -- from New York now.
So are we just getting ourselves into trouble with this? Do I want to listen to everybody? Do they want to listen to me?
BLACKWELL: Yes.
FIELD: Right, Christi, bet you we all think that we want the privilege or there can be in using our cell phones until you sit next to someone who is talking the whole way from New York to L.A. But this is still a proposal. The FCC is going to discuss this at a meeting in December. And the airlines would have to have antennas installed on the airplanes before anyone could even start talking.
Now passengers who want to use their cell phones, well, they could pay pretty dearly for that luxury. One consumer advocate suggests that this could be very business for telecommunications companies. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) CRAIG AARON, FREE PRESS/CONSUMER ADVOCATE: This is potentially a multibillion dollar industry for cell phone companies and device manufacturers. Once this ban is lifted, it's not going to be like your regular phone will just work perfectly. You're going to either have to sign up for extra service, or you're going to have to pay serious roaming charges. You know, probably in excess of $2 per minute for every phone call you make.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FIELD: There are also estimates that text messages could cost about 50 cents a text. So that's something to think about before potentially pulling out your phone. It would be up to individual airlines to decide whether or not to allow passengers to talk and text. And already it seems that not everyone is on board. Here's a statement from Delta Airlines. They say if the FCC changes its policy, will Delta allow voice communications on flights? No. No. There you have it. That's where they stand.
Also, the Flight Attendants Union has also raised concern. They also put out a statement saying that they object to the plan -- Christi, Victor.
BLACKWELL: One-word answer, no. All right, Alexander Field, thank you so much.
We've got Karen Maginnis with us now, and just to kind of talk about this. I could not be more against the idea of having cell phones on these planes.
PAUL: It still makes me nervous because they said at one point that it would interfere, so how do they know that it won't in certain circumstances? I mean, more than anything, we all want to be safe when we fly, right?
BLACKWELL: Yes.
MAGINNIS: I can see an event where there is the phone cell usage in the back of the airplane. And you can sit around, and everybody else is gabbing and talking on that red eye flight. And the folks who don't speak on the cell phone in the front. And people are traveling. They're short-tempered, anyway. They're missing connections.
BLACKWELL: Yes.
MAGINNIS: They've dealt with the luggage, the person next to them is using the seat rest. And you're on the cell phone.
BLACKWELL: But now it's like the new technological smoking section which never made sense anyway. We're all in the same place.
PAUL: Right.
BLACKWELL: Although you're sitting four rows up, I still smell your smoke. I still hear your conversation about dinner in an hour from now. PAUL: And let's hope that's the only thing we're hearing.
BLACKWELL: And that's true because if you let people use the phone, they could talk about -- imagine how loud it's going to be.
MAGINNIS: And this -- and that's the thing. We all know that people, when they get on the cell phone, they tend to up the volume of their phone calls.
BLACKWELL: Yes.
MAGINNIS: Well, on a plane because there's all, you know, that extraneous noise.
(CROSSTALK)
BLACKWELL: My mom is a loud cell phone talker. And I'm like, please, I can hear you. It is OK.
And tell us what you think. We're all on Twitter.
PAUL: Yes.
BLACKWELL: So hit us up with your thoughts about the idea of having cell phone calls on flights.
BLACKWELL: You know, a taco restaurant hasn't even opened its doors yet, but it's already got off on the wrong foot with some people. All because of its name.
(LAUGHTER)
BLACKWELL: I get it now. I get it now. It took me a minute, but I didn't get it.
PAUL: That's Christmas, people, ringing up a little commercial controversy. We'll talk about this in a minute.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PAUL: It is "Money Time" on NEW DAY. Stocks are going to start Monday morning in record territory, folks. The Dow Jones Industrials closed Friday at 16,064. And for a year, Dow stocks have gained an impressive 22 percent. Analysts said that the Federal Reserve's ongoing stimulus program is what they believe to be behind the surge there.
All right. Parents, you're going to want to know this.
BLACKWELL: Yes. A voluntary recall for about 600,000 baby monitors. And the concern is they could pose a strangulation risk. Now they're made by Canada's Angel Care Monitors.
PAUL: The U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission, in fact, says two infants were strangled to death after the cord for the monitor sensor pad was pulled into the crib by those babies. BLACKWELL: All right. Twenty-three minutes after the hour now. Time to talk a little business and there is a Mexican restaurant who's trying to open up in Las Vegas. So listen to this. But there's a problem with the name of the restaurant.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That particular word is the "F" bomb.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: Yes. So a word in the name of this taco restaurant apparently is the same as the saying the "F" word in Spanish. Now for its part, managers of the restaurant say, now get this, the word means hired kitchen help.
(CROSSTALK)
BLACKWELL: How is that possible?
PAUL: I don't know who does not know what it means in -- I mean, there's got to be enough people that know what it means.
BLACKWELL: I don't know the word. I thought I knew all the dirty words in Spanish.
PAUL: I don't either.
(LAUGHTER)
BLACKWELL: Somebody is going to tell me during the break. I know.
OK, so people in Vegas, they are so ticked off about this, they complained and got the name taken off the front of the restaurant, just off the front, but the word will be all over the inside of the restaurant.
What does it have to do with tacos?
PAUL: I still want to just know. Is it or is it not the bad word?
BLACKWELL: Yes.
PAUL: It's very black and white, yes, it is or no, it's not. OK.
BLACKWELL: But there are some words in English that could be one or something else.
PAUL: Yes, OK.
(LAUGHTER)
BLACKWELL: I'm thinking of one or two.
PAUL: OK, I -- OK. I got you. OK. Let's move on here about the marijuana being the business buzz in Colorado. BLACKWELL: Yes.
PAUL: Pun intended there, by the way. Business by the name of Annie's has received the first license to sell marijuana for recreational use. Now voters in Colorado approved the limited sale and possession of pot back in 2012, remember. Annie's plans to open its doors on New Year's Day, and that's when the measure becomes law. However, federal agents are still making raids on top dispensaries right now. In fact, they made several this week.
BLACKWELL: Yes. And this is -- likely there are going to be a tax boom for the state of Colorado.
PAUL: Right.
BLACKWELL: We don't know what that percentage will be when it all comes down to state and local and so forth. But they're going to make some money off of that, of course.
PAUL: Yes. And we'll see who might want to follow suit after that.
BLACKWELL: Yes.
PAUL: OK, this is on my Facebook page. Please chime in and tell me what you think about it. The holiday ad is out. K-Mart causing a little bit of a stir.
BLACKWELL: A stir or a bit of a swing?
(LAUGHTER)
PAUL: Very nice. OK, here's the funniest part about it. It's K- Mart's ad for Joe Boxer aptly named "Show Your Joes." They mean your boxers, people. Just your boxers. But, you know, some people think look, this is offensive. It's too much. In fact one group, One million Moms, has launched a campaign to have the ad yanked from TVs. But here's the thing. More than seven million hits on YouTube, more than 30,000 thumbs up on Twitter.
BLACKWELL: We should --
PAUL: Other people like it.
BLACKWELL: We should also say that One Million Moms is a pretty conservative group that -protested the --
PAUL: And I understand that. I mean, I'm a mom.
BLACKWELL: Yes.
PAUL: I get it but it's really funny.
BLACKWELL: And so we've got the "F" bomb, weed and showing your Joe in business plug this morning.
PAUL: Hot Saturday, folks. Hot Saturday. BLACKWELL: We'll be back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLACKWELL: Bottom of the hour now. Welcome back, everybody. Good to have you this Saturday. You've made it to the weekend. Rejoice.
PAUL: I now feel good.
BLACKWELL: Yes. I'm Victor Blackwell.
PAUL: I'm Christi Paul.
Here's five things you need to know for your NEW DAY. Number one Secretary of State John Kerry and other top foreign diplomats in Geneva right now trying to hash out a deal on Iran's controversial nuclear program. Now, they want to keep Tehran, obviously, from developing a nuclear weapon. For its part, Iran wants to be allowed to keep enriching uranium and get tough economic sanctions lifted.
BLACKWELL: Number two, new grisly details about the murder of a teacher in Massachusetts Colleen Ritzer. According to a police affidavit, 14-year-old student Philip Chism, he left a note next to her body that read "I hate you all." Court documents also show police believe Chism raped his teacher and killed her in a high school bathroom. A grand jury has indicted Chism.
PAUL: Number three, a report on the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School set to be released Monday. Officials in Connecticut say it's going to detail findings from that nearly year-long investigation at this point. Now, family members of the victims have been informed about this report. The shooting last December left 20 children and six adults dead.
BLACKWELL: Up next, an eighth student at Princeton University is being treated now for meningitis. Health officials will conduct test to determine if she has the same rare bacterial strain found in the seven other cases at the school. Now, Princeton officials say they hoped to provide students with a vaccine that's been approved in Europe, but not yet approved in the U.S.
PAUL: And severe weather sweeping across the country, just in time for Thanksgiving. You know it. Several states are already under a winter storm warning. We're talking about snow and rain. And those things expected to delay flights and cause headaches for you who are planning to drive in the northeast. You've got to bundle up because bitter cold temperatures are sweeping in. CNN meteorologist Karen Maginnis in the CNN severe weather center for us now. Karen, what - how bad does it look, really?
KAREN MAGINNIS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, Christi and Victor, it looks like those temperatures not warming up terribly much for this afternoon. You start the morning out with 30s and 40s, but that cold air has already penetrated across the northern tier and into the Great Lakes. We'll see some lake-effect snow. Temperatures only are going to be in the 20s and 30s coming up for tomorrow. In the meantime, the desert southwest picks up additional rainfall. We'll watch a storm system brew across the southeast. Track off the coast of the southeast, and Christi and Victor, it looks like as we head toward the Thanksgiving holiday, we'll watch the potential for a winter storm.
BLACKWELL: It's all good for people who are staying home and preparing meals and not going out to the airports and train stations ... MAGINNIS: I know.
BLACKWELL: But Karen, for the rest of us, this is rough.
MAGINNIS: Yeah, it's going to be.
BLACKWELL: All right. Karen Maginnis, thank you.
MAGINNIS: Keep you updated. Thank you.
BLACKWELL: The original design of the Obamacare website would have let you window shop for health insurance without plugging in your personal information first.
PAUL: Well, that feature is dead now.
BLACKWELL: Yeah.
PAUL: Not happening. Not because it didn't work, some say. Critics contend it was all political. CNN senior White House correspondent Brianna Keilar has the story. Good morning, Brianna.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Christi and Victor. This feature is called "anonymous shopper" and it's that the president sold to the public. The idea that you could go online and comparison shop for a health plan much like you do a plane ticket, anonymously without entering any personal information. But sources tell CNN exclusively that just days before the launch of the health care website, administration officials decided to scrap the feature even though it would have been ready to go on launch day.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KEILAR: This is what the designers of the Obamacare website envisioned. A shopping destination that would function like some of the top e-commerce sites online.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: You can compare insurance plans side by side, the same way you'd shop for a plane ticket on Kayak or a TV on Amazon.
KEILAR: A hallmark of those sites, the ability to window shop before you register for an account or provide detailed personal information. CNN has learned one of the best online design firms in the world with a team that included one of the lead designers of online shoe stores Zappos.com spent thousands of hours developing a health care website prototype. "Anonymous shopper" was a key part of the $3 million model. Federal health care officials endorsed it, but the shopping feature never made it on their site. HENRY CHAO, DEPUTY CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER, CMS: In this case, it failed so miserably, that we could not consciously let people use it.
KEILAR: Henry Chao, a top government I.T. official told Congress the reason the anonymous shopping feature was never added was that it was critically flawed.
CHAO: If we allowed people to go through that they would have gotten erroneous information, and that would have been much worse than not having it at all.
KEILAR: But almost two weeks before a launch day, a document obtained by CNN shows federal I.T. officials determined the window shopping tool tested successfully and that any remaining defects will not degrade consumer experience. A source close to the project tells CNN there were only minor problems with the shopping tool. All fixable by launch day. Yet one day after the successful test, Chao shelves "Anonymous Shopper." For what appears to be a different reason: in this internal email obtained exclusively by CNN, Chao wrote that Mary Wallace who was the deputy director of communications for his agency, quote, "asked me and I said "Anonymous Shopper" really isn't needed and thus should be removed and we agreed.
That move puzzles experts.
LUKE CHANG, PRESIDENT, FOUNDER, FMS: Absolutely. This is something people expect when they visit any website, to not disclose any personal information until they are at a point where they want to make a commitment to buy.
KEILAR: Republican critics are now accusing the administration of nixing the window shopping tool because it would have shown Americans the full unsubsidized price of insurance plans causing sticker shock and possibly deterring some from signing up.
REP. DARRELL ISSA, (R ) CALIFORNIA: It clearly was a political decision to make people see what they were getting for free before they could see what it was going to cost.
KEILAR: Chao's agency says it believes the documentation of the successful test was a mistake and today, the White House is standing by Chao's testimony.
JAY CARNEY, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: We do, yes. Absolutely.
KEILAR (on camera): You believe that it failed miserably?
CARNEY: Again, it had multiple defects. Brianna, we stand by his testimony.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KEILAR: After complaints that there wasn't a good way to shop before you sign up for an account, Obamacare officials launched a much more basic version on October 10th. But it doesn't tell you a lot of important things like "Anonymous Shopper" can. For instance, if a plan covers your prescription medications or if your doctor is in network. Christi and victor.
BLACKWELL: All right, senior White House correspondent Brianna Keilar covering latest on Obamacare for us. Thank you.
PAUL: So, print, aim, fire, with the right equipment anyone can make a 3D gun. From home.
BLACKWELL: A ban on undetectable guns is set to expire. And that has some lawmakers taking aim at the revolutionary technology. We'll talk with security concerns - we'll talk about that after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Gun!
(yelling)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: Yeah, that famous scene from the 1993 movie "In the Line of Fire" is what some people fear could happen if Congress does not renew the ban on undetectable weapons. In the movie, John Malkovich's character spends months developing a gun made of wood and plastic, in order to sneak past metal detectors so he can kill the president. In less than three weeks, legislation that bans firearms that don't set off metal detectors is set to expire. That includes 3D printed guns which contain virtually no metal. There is some, virtually no metal, though.
Officials fear they could fall into the wrong hands and get past security in airports and schools if Congress doesn't renew the ban. So, let's talk about this. I want to impact this issue. Let's bring in former ATF assistant director Mike Bouchard and Cody Wilson, the man behind the Liberator, the first 3D - printed handgun. Gentlemen, it's good to have both of you.
MIKE BOUCHARD, SECURITY DYNAMICS GROUP, LLC: Good morning.
BLACKWELL: Hey, Cody, I want to start with you, with the basic question: what's the point, what's the purpose of the Liberator?
CODY WILSON, MANAGING DIRECTOR, DEFENSE DISTRIBUTED: I think the Liberator specifically was a symbolic implement. You know, that we wanted to create a political message around. But at the same time I don't like to try to justify its existence. I don't believe it. We have to be kind of - make an excuse for why we should have made it. Or why the people should have access to it.
BLACKWELL: OK, so for the political message, what's the message?
WILSON: Oh, the message was simple, my project was about saying anyone in the future through the digital distribution and manufacture will be able to create a gun for themselves by downloading it from the Internet. There's nothing anyone can do about that. It was a kind of political upfront, a progressive means of social administration. The security technologies meaning people would be able to make more what they want, especially politically contentions objects like a firearm.
BLACKWELL: OK. So, now that it's more than a message and this has been what - downloaded many, many times now. Thousands of times. And we're at the point of people being able to create these things. Are you aware of the dangers? And what are your concerns about anyone being able to print these now?
WILSON: So, right. I don't think that our conversation is qualitatively changed. Anyone can already make a gun. Right? Unsupervised and un-accessed. Despite it's legal for them to do so, most of the time, if they're not a felon or otherwise. I don't think especially this approach to banning these guns this way. There's the right way to approach it. There is already an architecture in the Guns Control Act and the National Firearms Act. So dealing with Guns, at which regard is being especially dangerous or something, outside of categorical bans on their possession of transfer or even the manufacture, which is (inaudible) now. My criticism of this current renewal proposal, is that it's a way of gaining a foothold in suppressing and regulating an entire branch of technology, rather than just a way of making a firearm.
BLACKWELL: Mike, articulate, if you would, the concern about these types of weapons, and the concern if this ban is not renewed?
BOUCHARD: Well, it's important to have this law on the books and have guns detected because when most of us go into airports or government buildings or in other settings when we go through a magnetometer, we have a feeling of safety that once we go through there that someone with a gun or a knife isn't going to attack us.
So there's a relatively feeling of safety once you go through these things. This type of firearm will not be detected anywhere. You could be sitting on an airplane next to someone who's carrying this thing. And the biggest concern for the law enforcement is, criminals and terrorists are creative enough. I've spent over 30 years in my life working in public safety trying to make - arrest criminals and outthink them. Law enforcement is looking for creative people to help us do those kinds of things, not make it easier for criminals and terrorists.
BLACKWELL: Do you think you're making it easier for criminals and terrorists, Cody?
WILSON: I think despite his good faith, Mike's contribution is disingenuous. Airport imaging technology can pick up the Liberator outside of magnetometers. And also I guess I would say, the American people should be rather critical of giving yet another means of arbitrating, you know, and capricious enforcement to another federal law agency. I think we should look at what else is in this bill. It's not just making plastic guns illegal. It's making any plastic gunfire made by a 3D printer illegal as well. This is a way of instituting gun control by other means.
BLACKWELL: So, Mike, even if this bill -- if this act is renewed, the Liberator would still be legal, correct?
BOUCHARD: As long as there's a metal -- enough metal in the gun, that it can be detectable by the magnetometers.
BLACKWELL: So then what is the point of the legislation, if we still have the Liberator, and you think that this gun is dangerous, what is it really stopping?
BOUCHARD: Well, the legislation in my opinion doesn't go far enough. In my opinion, the legislation should say that there has to have enough metal in one of the working components of the gun to make it detectable. As the law stands now, if they just extend it, there's a metal piece that you can add to it, just take it out and throw it away. And it's still undetectable and it meets the current law.
BLACKWELL: Cody, back to you, with the printing of these guns and people having the capabilities to do this at home, you eliminate, and I'd assume this is something you support, you eliminate the ability to keep this away from people with mental disabilities for other legal reasons who should not have a weapon. Your thoughts on that?
WILSON: Yeah, that's true. Basically, the entire gun control architecture lies on federal license, manufacturers and dealers being the kind of channels that serialize and supervise who can have access to the commodity, right. But when we have increased access to the means of production the entire model changes and the paradigm breaks down a little bit. And you can't rely on the same forms of administration and enforcement. So, I would say that even though these technologies right now, the ones that people have access to, rely on plastic and polymers (inaudible), this is not a reason to kind of prevent exploration experimentation.
We all know that there's a race to the bottom with new materials and new techniques. I think that it's more - there's a better dimension, a better social dimension to allowing people to legally experiment with these things in gun manufacture and other manufacturers. In the interest of a better future.
BLACKWELL: All right. Cody Wilson, Mike Bouchard, thank you both. We'll continue this conversation over the next few weeks as Congress continues to debate the Undetectable Firearms Act. Christi.
PAUL: Already, thanks, Victor. You know, a new approval ratings for President Obama, and they have plunged to the lowest point in his presidency. We're going to talk about that with a live report from Washington straight ahead. Stay close.
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PAUL: Well, public opinion is turning sharply against President Obama, thanks in large part, of course, to his botched rollout of Obamacare.
BLACKWELL: Yeah, Tory Dunnan joins us now from Washington. Tory, the president is not just taking a hit from comedians, more importantly, he is taking a hit in public opinion. TORY DUNNAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, I mean Victor and Christi, what I can tell you, this is really a tough time for President Obama. It is another day and another low poll number. But this time we're talking about a brand new CNN ORC poll that was just released last week. It shows the president's approval rating at just 41 percent. That's an all-time low in this pool. But some polls have even dipped lower than that. Now, the approval rating is a key indicator of how the public views the president. So, the big question is going to be - well, what is to blame for that low number? You might guess that it's the botched rollout of healthcare.gov that does played its part in his approval rating is down three points since October. But numbers are also showing us that the real damage may have started in June with reports about NSA spying as well as the treatment of conservative groups when it comes to the IRS. So, in his weekly address, the president pointed to good news about the economy. He plans to do that in speeches next week. And Victor and Christi, perhaps this is just one of those cases of he is changing the subject just a little bit.
PAUL: OK, what, I know in the same CNN/ORC poll, it also shows, and I understand there is some hope for Republicans?
DUNNAN: Christi, it sure seems that way. 50 percent of Americans in that same survey believe the congressional Republicans will have more influence in the president. That's when it comes to shaping events over the next year. Now, the survey is also showing that only 42 percent say the president will. That's a huge change from just a year ago. But Victor and Christi, remember those poll numbers. Well, they're like to change quite a bit. So, we will see.
PAUL: And isn't that the truth. Tory Dunnan in Washington. Thank you, Tory, so much.
DUNNAN: Sure.
PAUL: So still to come on "NEW DAY," have you seen this wild viral video of Jean-Claude Van Damme doing the splits on two trucks?
BLACKWELL: Yes. If you have it, we're going to show you more. Some pretty awesome parodies of the stunt are now online too. We'll get more after this.
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BLACKWELL: This is called Atlanta soup.
(LAUGHTER)
BLACKWELL: Too foggy out there, indeed, skyscrapers earning their name this morning. But there is the Ferris Wheel. Jump on that if you are visiting Atlanta.
PAUL: And the Christmas lights are all up at Centennial Olympic Park. We should point out.
BLACKWELL: Yes. PAUL: Not that you can see them just yet. But they go with the cold temperatures, apparently, we're going to be getting today, too. So, we are all with you, people. All the crazy weather we're going to be talking about and telling you about - it's going to hit you in Atlanta, too.
BLACKWELL: Talk about crazy.
PAUL: Just like you. Oh, seriously?
BLACKWELL: Yes.
PAUL: Seriously. Are you lined out outside of Best Buy right now like this guy in Ft. Myers, Florida for Black Friday deals? Right now! Actually, the first guy in line has been there since Wednesday. That's nine days before the sales even begin.
BLACKWELL: Look, he is putting up his tent. He has got an air mattress, he's got the football there. He grills every day. OK, so he and his buddies, they are doing this in shifts so they can keep their spot in line, but then go take a shower -- thank you.
(LAUGHTER)
BLACKWELL: And then also go to work.
PAUL: Good point.
BLACKWELL: They're working between the shifts.
Action superstar Jean-Claude van Damme, his name is popping up more often now because he is riding a wave of new found popularity based on a video of a stunt he did for Volvo. And it went viral.
PAUL: Yeah, and there are some pretty viral parodies hitting YouTube too. Including a spoof from actor Channing Tatum. Here is CNN's Jeanne Moos with more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Jean-Claude van Damme is a leg man. He especially admires his own.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A pair of legs engineered to defy the laws of physics.
MOOS: And when he did one of his trademark splits stretching from one Volvo truck to another as the trucks went in reverse.
It got millions of views on YouTube even if he was wearing an unseen safety harness. But now, he is getting something more than views. Parodies. There is Toronto's Mayor Rob Ford cracking up folks.
ROB FORD: What you see is a body crafted to perfection.
MOOS: And all of visual effects studio called Art Jail did was seamlessly swap heads.
There are animated parodies and even a parody celebrating stretchy pants you can hear them creak.
The most celebrated parody so far features actor Channing Tatum. He is doing a split between two food carts on the set of his latest movie.
CHANNING TATUM: Mother.
MOOS: That you didn't know Nutella could do splits.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At Nutella, we want you to know, that we can never be spread too thin. Even between two semi-trucks.
MOOS: Dad and his ten-year-old son dreamed up this one.
OK. So, maybe not all of those parody splits are what you call side splitting.
MOOS: But somehow, only time (inaudible), that's almost anything seems sort of funny. There are plenty of pratfalls. From skateboards and toy trucks and chairs. One split we haven't seen is split pants. The only way all of these parodies fit is in a split screen. Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PAUL: Snow in Los Angeles, floods in Arizona and a possible nor'easter coming to the East Coast. If you thought regular Thanksgiving travel was bad, wait until you hear the forecast for the busiest travel week of the year. Maybe you'll rethink your plans!
BLACKWELL: A good news, though. You can now use your mobile devices on the planes. OK, and I do it on every flight. I put those headphones on as soon as I sit in my seat. And you may want to buy it for your own because you may soon have to listen to everyone else's phone calls in the air. The FCC is looking into allowing cell phone use above 10,000 feet. But there are cries of protest already starting up.
PAUL: If you are one of 36 million Americans who suffer from migraines, a new treatment may finally be the answer to the debilitating pain. Dr. Sanjay Gupta explains.
